In my attempt to run administrative errands in the city, I stayed at a business hotel for three nights last week. I crave being on my own from time to time. It reminded me of those years, traveling on my own for business overseas, the freedom of navigating another city en route to client meetings.
I intend to use the hotel I stayed in as a simple case study to dissect what was great in its design.
A Business Hotel caters to business travelers with its design primarily focused on their needs. Its location should have direct access close to the Central Business District with ease of travel from the airport, ideally away from heavy traffic. It offers free parking and is even more convenient when it's connected to a shopping mall.
A business hotel is equipped with a business center and its own conference facility composed of banquet and meeting halls where seminar attendees book their accommodation to avoid commuting.
The hotel I'm going to use as a case study is Summit Galleria Cebu, a flagship property of Summit Hotels and Resorts, a hospitality brand by JG Summit Holdings. It's the second mid-scale boutique hotel they have launched in Cebu back in 2017 which has 220 rooms.
It has an indoor swimming pool, spa and fitness facilities, a grand ballroom with a capacity of 600 guests.
It satisfies the above criteria of an ideal business hotel. Its location is near the port with SRP linked directly to the airport. It is connected to Robinsons Galleria, a huge shopping mall with massive parking space.
Create a First Impression
The lobby is responsible for creating the vital first impression that leaves a lasting one. It is the first and last point of contact with the hotel guest.
The hotel is currently used as a quarantined hotel thus all amenities including their indoor pool are closed. Breakfasts are served via room service.
As shown below, the reception counter is directly positioned in front of the main entrance door equipped with health and safety acrylic panels.
Check-in was quick. Along with the automated room key cards, I was given a free parking stub that I should present to the parking personnel. The two-level basement parking is shared with the mall with enough room to accommodate hotel guests and mall visitors.
Design Should Be Able to Narrate a Story
The hotel was designed with a vision to create a modern boutique hotel. The style is contemporary. Unlike most chains, each property's design is firmly rooted in its regional influences.
The design story is about Cebu's Sinulog Festival, taking inspiration from its vibrant colors and festive geometric patterns as seen in the area rug and carpet design, artwork, and decor.
Cebu is widely known as the furniture capital of the Philippines. Hence all of the furniture was sourced locally.
A great example of this unique story is the lighting feature at the entrance which was inspired by Cebu's icon - "puso" -hanging rice wrapped in triangular pouches made of woven coconut leaves.
The Importance of Details and Basic Hotel Design Standards
Blame it on the day job. Having worked in the Hospitality Design Industry for many years and having been given the responsibility of designing 5* hotels, my perception had been altered during hotel stays. Many design professionals share this automatic response as our keen observation goes wild despite being on vacation.
Our attention is pulled by the lack of power outlets and the absence of switches on top of bedside tables. The bad positioning of downlights casting shadows on our faces.
The alignment of certain grooves and how each cabinet design could be further improved. Careful attention is given to handling the termination of two materials and how corners of gypsum ceiling shadow gaps lacked the angle bead.
It's an inherent habit. Our eyes were trained to spot these elements in our pursuit to improve and achieve better detail.
A month ago, we stayed in another hotel in the city which I would not name. As much as that hotel looked great on the surface, the utilities proved inefficient due to a bad selection of sanitary fixtures and the lack of attention to basic requirements and hotel standards. All of these led to a disappointing guest experience.
These small details unbeknownst to many affect ones' lasting impression of whether one would return there again.
"God is in the details," Mies van der Rohe whispers constantly.
The Business Hotel Room
In every hotel room, the bed is the main star. The mattress and sheets should be comfortable and induce a good night's sleep defined by the number of thread counts and the quality of the foam mattresses. Many hotel brands compete to entice and satisfy guests for the best sleeping experience. Summit Galleria Cebu managed to hit that spot.
The placement of their centralized air conditioning supply was also well positioned with an efficient thermostat. This assured a comfortable temperature.
The main drapery was also a blackout so business travelers could enjoy sleeping in late during the day in case their work hours required them up during owl hours.
The bathroom space was well designed and practical. I am a big fan of separate toilets and enclosed showers and the existence of the retractable clothesline confirms this was designed by hospitality designers.
Rapidly Changing Business Hotel Design Landscape
Designing is not only about making a room look attractive or regarded solely in terms of functionality. The goal is to connect with guests at an emotional level.
Given the remote working lifestyle, entrepreneurs and business travelers are shifting their mindset towards having authentic experiences. For this reason, Airbnb has an edge for it pushes guests to come out of their comfort zone. The existing real estate is already linked to a sense of community which provides a home away from home. This strategy offers authentic and unique experiences initiated by each host.
This becomes a challenge to Hotel Designers in creating authentic experiences to connect with guests emotionally. In my opinion, this challenge should be dealt with in cooperation with the hoteliers' brand strategies.
Co-working and collaboration are important factors in designing hospitality spaces by creating meaningful and personalized experiences for guests.
Each guest has their individual needs and this could be fulfilled for example through smart tech design by personalizing lighting and temperature controlled by a guest's smartphone.
Biophilic Design
While basic needs such as a reliable internet speed are met and conducive space to conduct online meetings, travelers are more and more drawn to biophilic design.
To connect with nature fulfills a human need.
"Biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being, and expedite healing; as the world population continues to urbanize, these qualities are ever more important" - Source
Creating inspiring spaces that ignite creativity is the key through its nature-linked design. The hotel's proximity to the nearby sea is one example even though it's a busy port.
Studies show that a water view increases the average daily rate by 18 percent. Guests in contact with biophilic design immediately rate their experience to be of higher quality.
Before I end this post, I must say that the hotel I stayed in managed to fulfill my needs. Will I ever stay there again? Yes, I would.
Hoteliers and Hotel Designers bear this responsibility and will continue to go above and beyond to create unique spaces for that meaningful guest experience.
Thank you for reading.
References:
Designing The Guest Experience
Summit Hotel Opens Flagship in Cebu